Acoustic guitars are often the hardest guitars to play straight out of the box. High action, stiff strings, and a neck that moves with the weather add up to sore fingers and chords that won’t ring true. An acoustic setup at TuneUp Guitar in Redding fixes the most common problems and makes the guitar a lot more fun to pick up.
What’s included in an acoustic setup
- New strings, installed and stretched
- Truss rod adjustment for proper neck relief
- Saddle height adjusted to lower the action where it’s too high
- Nut slots checked and lowered if open chords are hard to press
- Intonation checked up the neck
- Bridge pins, tuners, and strap buttons checked and tightened
- Fretboard cleaning and conditioning
- Pickup and output jack check on acoustic-electrics
Signs your acoustic needs a setup
- Barre chords are a struggle and your hand gets tired fast
- The strings sit high over the 12th fret
- Chords sound sour higher up the neck
- Strings buzz on certain frets
- The top looks like it’s bulging behind the bridge
- The fret ends feel sharp along the side of the neck
Steel-string, classical, and 12-string
We set up steel-string flat tops, classical and nylon-string guitars, and 12-strings. Classical guitars have their own saddle and string tie needs, and 12-strings carry extra tension that needs careful neck adjustment. Whatever you bring in, we’ll set it up to play comfortably for your style, whether that’s strumming, fingerpicking, or flatpicking.
Dry climate, moving necks
Redding’s hot, dry summers and damp winters are hard on acoustic guitars. Wood shrinks and swells, which changes neck relief and action from season to season. Dry spells can also leave sharp fret ends poking out along the neck. A quick check when the weather changes keeps your guitar playing the way it should.
Want to plug in?
If your acoustic doesn’t have a pickup yet, we can add one while it’s in for a setup. See acoustic pickup installation.
Bring it in
Drop your guitar off at the shop on Redcliff Drive in Redding. Most acoustic setups are done in a day or two. Players come in from all over the Redding area.
Acoustic Guitar Setup questions
Why is my acoustic guitar so hard to play?
Most acoustics leave the factory with high action, and many get worse as the neck moves with the seasons. Lowering the saddle and nut and adjusting the truss rod usually makes a big difference.
Can the action on my acoustic be lowered?
Usually, yes. We take material off the bottom of the saddle and fine tune the nut slots. If the saddle is already very low, we'll explain the options before doing anything.
Does dry weather affect acoustic guitars?
Yes. Redding summers are hot and dry, which can shrink the wood, sink the top, and leave fret ends sticking out. A seasonal check keeps that from turning into a bigger problem.